Question Time

ANDRE VICE TALMANNEN

I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren, Minister for Secondary Schools, Higher Education and Research Lotta Edholm, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

A question must be of an overarching and general political nature or concern a subject that falls within the Minister's area of responsibility and relates to his performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties.

Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren answers both general political questions as well as questions within his own area of responsibility.

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Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! Ulf Kristersson has been scrutinized by Aftonbladet for having allowed people to work on his family's property in exchange for rewards in the form of access to his network.

Carl-Oskar Bohlin chose, in connection with the corruption investigation, to attack the journalist on social media by blackening her for things that have nothing to do with the investigation.

Is free journalism important for Minister Bohlin to defend? Does he see it as part of the civil defense of Sweden?

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! The short answer to that question is: Yes, it is important; just as it is important to defend freedom of expression, which belongs to all citizens in this country.

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Gustaf Lantz (S)

Madam Speaker! I did not perceive in the answer whether the Minister considers it to have been good that the corruption investigation of the Prime Minister was conducted.

Perhaps the question was posed too popularly. Let me rephrase myself in a more right-conservative manner.

In what way does the Minister relate to the function of free and unconstrained journalistic activity as a carrier of the integrity of public exchange of opinions, its granular nuances, and the realm's democratic resilience?

(Applause)

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! The question I received was whether free journalism is important for our democratic society. I answered an unequivocal yes to that question.

I chose to add that just as free journalism is important, freedom of expression is also important. It is important to me and it is important to Gustaf Lantz, and it is essential in a democratic society.

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Björn Söder (SD)

Madam Speaker! In May 2023, the Sweden Democrats followed up on the issue regarding the recurring lack of personal equipment in the Armed Forces. Now, three years later, the discussions are still ongoing. It is essentially the same things being discussed, namely underwear for women, boots, bags, rain suits, etc.

During 2023, the Swedish Armed Forces' logistics chief announced that there were problems in the redistribution system. During the autumn, the authority finally admitted the acute shortages.

Today the situation is somewhat improved, but it is still moving slowly. Not everything can be blamed on the defense industry.

Can the Minister account for how the government has addressed the problems and followed up on them? One of the points that the Sverigedemokraterna raised in 2023 was a mandate for the Armed Forces to return with a concrete action plan. How has that gone?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank Björn Söder for the question.

It is not an economic problem. We have increased the defense appropriations from 75 billion to 175 billion. The problem lies within the agency.

The situation is significantly better now than it was two years ago. Many will remember when there was a roll call and there was no personal equipment at all.

We have done a number of things. Among other things, we have held the Sweden Democrats to account regarding what they said about giving a mandate to the Armed Forces. We forced the Armed Forces to conduct an inventory. It was the first one they had done in over ten years. Then they found items they didn't think they had and things they thought they had. Furthermore, the Armed Forces have reported the status of the personal equipment to the Ministry of Defence on a quarterly basis. I have chosen to participate in all the meetings, precisely to get order on this recurring problem within the Armed Forces – not least when it concerns personal equipment for girls.

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Björn Söder (SD)

Madam Speaker! I would like to thank the Minister for Defence for the answer. I hope that we will not have to stand here in three years and have the same discussion. Thank you once again for the answer!

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Madam Speaker! It is naturally important that the conscripts have personal equipment, and it should be good when they undergo their basic training. But it is also a question of what the situation looks like in the mobilization organization if we cannot provide the conscripts with personal equipment. This is a high-priority issue for the government, which we are working on intensively.

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Kajsa Fredholm (V)

Madam Speaker! According to a survey from Hundstallet, one in three dog owners has postponed veterinary care due to high prices. Four out of ten state that it has become more expensive to have a dog over the last two years. In economically difficult times, the consequences become clear, namely missed veterinary visits, cheaper feed, downgraded insurance, and in the worst cases, dogs that must be surrendered or euthanized.

We in Vänsterpartiet do not think it should be a class issue whether one can afford pets, but that is unfortunately how it looks for many today.

What are the government's concrete solutions to the sky-high veterinary costs?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for the question.

It is unambiguous that over a long series of years, the costs for veterinary care have increased. Some can be explained by the fact that we have a much more extensive health and medical care for animals today. We have a technological development that is moving forward, to benefit many times over, but of course, it has also led to increased costs.

We have acted during the mandate period and given a mandate to investigate the issue. The Competition Authority has been tasked to look further into, among other things, the issue of price transparency. We have indeed established that there is a problem there.

We will proceed with the investigation, and we will follow up on the issue carefully so that the competition situation does not drive up prices in an unreasonable way.

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Kajsa Fredholm (V)

Madam Speaker! It is good that the government is acting, but unfortunately, it is not enough.

For us in Vänsterpartiet, it is obvious that the state needs to take a greater responsibility to regulate prices within animal care, not least to prevent animals from suffering due to a lack of care.

When can we expect some more concrete proposals from the government?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! The assignments we have given focus on the price information. It is the key to determining whether there is an unhealthy price increase due to a lack of competition.

People should also be able to make adequate choices in these situations.

The highest price increases are in prophylactic care, that is, planned measures. This may very well be due to technological developments.

In the acute situation, it is important to be able to easily see what a treatment costs from different providers.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Madam Speaker! The government has previously opened up for uranium mining in Sweden, and now they want to abolish all local influence in this issue. At the same time, we know that many of the most interesting areas for uranium mining are in alum shales, and alum shales are found in Västergötland, Östergötland, and Jämtland as well as on Öland and many other places. These are also the areas in Sweden that are most fertile from an agricultural perspective.

A single company has purchased 80,000 hectares in Jämtland. That is an area larger than half of Öland. Sweden has a limited amount of high-quality and fertile agricultural land. In a time of increased geopolitical uncertainty, we must protect our agricultural lands. We need to strengthen our food security.

Uran can actually be mined in other places. In Canada, the concentration is 600 times higher than it is in Sweden. Still, the government wants to remove the local influence over these issues.

My question to Peter Kullgren, who is the Minister for Rural Affairs, therefore becomes: Does the government consider that uranium mining carries more weight than Swedish food production?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is a matter of making it a bit simple to weigh these things against each other, as both are important if one looks at the entire dignity and at all those minerals and metals – or for everything in the world, uranium – that we could need in our country to increase our security.

I think there is a bit of sloppiness with the wording here. The Government has appointed … well, wants to quickly investigate the issue of a municipal veto specifically against mining in alumschist, regardless of which substance is to be extracted.

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Rickard Nordin (C)

Madam Speaker! This is simply not true. The Government has not appointed any investigation regarding alum shale at all. A press release has been sent out, but there are no investigation directives and no investigator has been appointed. If they truly had wanted a veto regarding alum shale, they could have produced such a thing first, before they revoked the decisions on local influence for the uranium mining.

Furthermore, it is the case that on Monday we are to vote in the Riksdag on precisely a ban on mining in alunschist. The Christian Democrats are welcome to vote for the Centre Party and other opposition parties, who are putting forward that proposal – if one actually means business. Otherwise, it is just smokescreens and hot air that Kullgren is providing.

(Applause)

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! Food production is extremely important. That we increase it is also important for our security in the same way as other types of use of our natural resources could be important.

What I said was: That is why the government wants to quickly investigate the issue of a municipal veto specifically against mining in alunschist – not least from the fact that this has upset an enormous number of people and made people very worried. Therefore, it is central that one has this possibility as a municipality.

(Applause)

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! Sweden is considered a forest country, but at the same time as we have more planted trees than many other countries, we have fewer natural forests, and it is when nature is replaced by an industry that we lose irreplaceable values.

We in Miljöpartiet have collected 27,000 signatures for a swift moratorium on the logging of conservation-worthy forest where the state stops logging what it has promised to preserve and where the state provides reasonable compensation so that private landowners can protect the forest instead of logging it.

My question to Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren is: Will you take any measures whatsoever to protect Sweden's last old-growth forests, or will you continue to accelerate the conversion of old-growth forest into cardboard and toilet paper that is sent for export?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is a very good description of how Miljöpartiet views Swedish forestry, which contributes to jobs and growth throughout the country, which has built much of the prosperity in this country and which contributes every day to the climate benefit – not least through the growth we have in the forest, which binds more than what Sweden's total emissions are. I think it is telling how the Swedish forestry is described.

I can state that one of four hectares of forest land is exempted from active use. Sweden protects a lot of forest, and that is good. We agree on one thing, and that is that there should be reasonable compensations to forest owners when the state encroaches, but that is where I believe our similarities end.

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Jacob Risberg (MP)

Madam Speaker! I note that the Minister did not answer the question. I would, however, like to point out to Kullgren that there are now demands from Greenpeace, Skydda skogen, and Naturskyddsföreningen to immediately stop the logging of protected forest. The research is clear that there is a great potential here for the state to lead the way.

What is the Minister's position on letting state-owned land be protected?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! I believe that the forest that is suitable for cultivation should also be cultivated. A forest investigation has been presented, and we have moved forward with a proposition based on it. I believe that this balances forest policy in a significantly better way than what has previously been applicable in Sweden: that landowners do not know what they are allowed to do and feel great uncertainty in their land ownership.

We must utilize the forest if we are to manage the climate transition, but the forest is also extremely important for jobs and growth throughout the country.

(Applause)

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Alexandra Anstrell (M)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister of Defence Pål Jonson.

Recently, on May 29, it was Veterans Day. It was celebrated nicely here in Stockholm and in many other places around Sweden, and it is important that we honor our veterans. We have made many efforts to ensure that things improve both before, during, and after a completed operation. This is good, but there is more to be done.

The government has received an investigation conducted by Allan Widman regarding a veteran center for relatives and veterans, and I wonder how it is going in that matter. Will there be any veteran center for recreation for veterans and relatives?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Alexandra Anstrell, for an important question! These are individuals who have taken the greatest personal risks one can take in state service, in order to represent Sweden. It is reasonable that we, just like the other Nordic countries, develop a veterans' center – or, as Allan Widman suggests, a veterans' farm – so that those who have been in state service and their relatives shall have the opportunity for recreation and recovery.

Research shows that these specific good conditions for recovery are very important, for example, to avoid post-traumatic stress.

We are now moving forward together with four veteran organizations to establish a veterans' farm. This is also about building up a stronger resilience in our entire society, because if we were to be subjected to an armed attack, we will need this type of veterans' center or veterans' farm.

This is a high priority, and we continue to work in the spirit of Allan Widman's investigation.

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Alexandra Anstrell (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!

How much can we learn about veteran issues from what is happening down in Ukraine?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Madam Speaker! Unfortunately, we can learn an enormous amount from the fact that Ukraine is suffering great damage and great losses. There is very much to do.

Some work we are already deeply engaged in. Above all, we are financing various types of veteran centers in Ukraine. I do not rule out that there is also an opportunity to have expanded treatment of injured veterans in Sweden. We have, to some extent, had it on the healthcare side, but there may also be an opportunity to expand that work from a broader veteran perspective.

(Applause)

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Finally, after decades, we have broken the trend of a decreasing number of cows in Sweden! Last year, the number of cows increased by 5,000.

Given that food preparedness must increase, it is important that the government and the Minister for Rural Affairs have acted to increase Swedish food production.

It is also an important signal that we no longer view our farmers as environmental villains but as environmental heroes. When other countries in our vicinity talk about wanting to reduce the number of cows and have fewer farmers, we in Sweden say exactly the opposite. It is really good.

But with crises in our world, the situation is very concerning, with high costs for diesel, artificial fertilizer and other inputs. Therefore, it is positive that the government is injecting 1.6 billion kronor in crisis support to Swedish farmers. My question is: What else, in addition to the crisis support, is the government working on to increase the profitability for Swedish farmers?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! We are working continuously with a long series of parts. I usually speak of three things.

It is about increasing profitability, which is the absolute most important thing for increased food production.

It is about the economic incentives, that is to say, the support for agriculture. When it has been possible, we have provided crisis support. The volume for this is regulated by the frameworks that the Commission provides, but we have tried to maximize it at every opportunity we have had.

When we have made a currency change, we have also ensured that the money that returns to Sweden through CAP goes to the farmers. When this happened under previous governments, they put that money into other holes – we prioritize the farmers.

Furthermore, we have kept the cost of diesel down generally speaking during the entire parliamentary term. This alone corresponds to more than 2 billion kronor.

But perhaps the most important thing, which we must do much more of, is the regulatory framework, so that it becomes easier to be a farmer in Sweden.

(Applause)

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Magnus Oscarsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!

The crisis support is very welcome – I know that. Many grain farmers have expressed great concern for a longer period, with continued high production costs and simultaneously low world market prices. The economic calculation has been very difficult to make work.

My question is therefore: What does the government intend to do if the situation deteriorates further?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! For the first thing, we must follow this development. Then, we are part of the European Union. We are governed by the common agricultural policy. But of course, the EU Commission also keeps a close eye on the situation.

Now we are at the level we can be at regarding this support. I am glad that Sweden has such good public finances that we can actually provide this support. Many other European countries are not anywhere near being able to do so.

We will therefore continue to monitor the issue.

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Anders Ekegren (L)

Madam Speaker! I also have a question for Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren.

Wild boars cause great problems where they roam. Golf courses, commercial gardens, agriculture and private gardens suffer great damage leading to significant costs. Most recently, they stopped traffic on the old E6 north of Ljungskile in Bohuslän. They are real pigs!

Even though the government has taken measures such as hunting protection and compensation for wild boar damage to reduce the damage caused by wild boar, they still cause large amounts of damage.

Unlike other game, wild boar meat is not so attractive to consumers. The marketing opportunities for wild boar meat are limited. What measures does the government want to take to make wild boar meat attractive to restaurants, large households, and consumers?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! The absolute biggest problem with wild boar is that they affect the food supply. They cause extremely large damages, especially to crops. Even though one can get some compensation for this, there are few farmers I speak with who just want to sow but never harvest.

The growing wild boar population therefore clearly needs to be shot down and limited significantly. The most effective thing is active landowners who have good dialogue with their hunters. We must have a regulatory framework that is adaptive so that we can continue to make it easier to hunt and cull wild boar. We have taken quite a few steps.

An important part, which the member is touching upon, is to have a market for the meat. I welcome and encourage the initiatives that have been taken by municipalities around the country, where they purchase and serve this game meat in school meals and other settings.

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Anders Ekegren (L)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer!

Wild boar are a huge problem. Quite a few hunters have actually transported wild boar several miles to hunt them, only to then realize that they are smart. It is not fun to be up at two or three in the morning and shoot wild boar.

It has also been noted that this is not such a good deal; it is not so attractive. The state, in cooperation with various organizations, has had different campaigns to encourage us to eat fish or something else. I believe something similar needs to be done when it comes to wild boar.

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! I believe there are few types of protein that we have promoted so much and so actively intervened to subsidize the disposal of as wild boar – through free trichinella tests and generous regulations. Now, there are also many municipalities that in their own way market this meat and include it in school meals. We have also ensured that hunters can sell a limited amount of wild boar meat directly to consumers.

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Hanna Westerén (S)

Madam Speaker! Sweden's total defense presupposes that both military and civil authorities grow with the right competence. At the same time, the Coast Guard and the Swedish Customs Service express concern that they are, in practice, competing with the Swedish Armed Forces for the same critical mass of competent employees. Now, Officersförbundet, Tull-Kust, and Polisförbundet are issuing a joint alarm that the authorities risk not building new capacity but instead mostly moving personnel between each other – or losing personnel entirely.

My question to Minister Bohlin is therefore: What concrete measures does the Minister intend to take to ensure that the staffing within the total defense actually leads to more employees, so that the collective competence grows, instead of agencies competing for the same employees?

(Applause)

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Hanna Westerén, for a good and pertinent question!

Yes, this is a challenge we face – it would be foolish to deny it. The total defense is growing, and it will require more people to be involved.

Regarding the Coast Guard, which was mentioned as an example, they have worked with double intakes during certain periods, for example. There we still see a high demand; it is an attractive agency to go to.

Ultimately, it is a matter of the authorities within the total defense that are now growing having to be attractive employers. Until now, this has been a possible development. The government naturally continues to work so that more people will want to seek out and build a career within the total defense in a difficult global situation.

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Daniel Spiik (SD)

Madam Speaker! The Sweden Democrats and the government have, during this mandate period, carried out the largest upgrade in modern times, which has been both financed and concrete – this in contrast to the previous Social Democratic government's efforts 2015–2022, which must be described as wasted years, which has also been highlighted by, among others, the National Audit Office.

We also see the price tag for this omission today. The global situation demands continued high exchange, while there are obvious goal conflicts between the different departments – this concerns, for example, climate, welfare and defense.

Therefore, Madam Speaker, I would like to ask Minister Bohlin if he can account for what measures have been taken to limit the conflicts of objectives and what concerns the Minister has if the pace of rearmament were to decrease after the election this autumn.

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for an important question! Yes, these goal conflicts could seriously begin to be addressed now that we finally have a coherent planning for civil defense and for total defense. One of the first measures that Minister Jonson and I took when we entered the Ministry of Defence was to reorganize the ministry so that it becomes more outward-looking towards the other ministries that have heavy portfolios within civil defense. It is about ensuring that everyone works in the same direction, ensuring that we achieve progress, and also allocating funds to the sectors within civil defense that have had the greatest loss of capability.

This is now acknowledged by the fact that we in the capability assessment from the Authority for Civil Defence see that the capability in civil defence is growing across the board, in contrast to how it looked when we took over four years ago.

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Ulrika Heie (C)

Madam Speaker! I also want to ask questions about uranium mining. For the people of Skaraborg, uranium mining in Ranstad during the 60s was a very tangible and environmentally damaging activity that created a great deal of concern. Before the ban on uranium mining came, there were also many exploration permits around the area, for example on the mountain Billingen.

Now the government wants to open up for uranium mining again, and they are abolishing local influence. Today, a press release was issued from the three government parties stating that they will appoint an investigation, but there are no directives.

I would very much like Minister Kullgren to elaborate further on this. What is the time perspective? It is said that this should be done expeditiously, and one could actually do it as early as Monday by voting for the proposal that is then on the table.

When will the investigation arrive? What will the directives be? This is what people all around in our regions are asking, not least in Skaraborg.

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! This investigation does not fall within my area of responsibility. I cannot go into all the details, because I simply cannot. But what we have communicated is clear, namely that the entire government wants to appoint an investigation into this. It will be a literal investigation. Where exactly we stand in the process, I cannot answer in detail here and now.

However, it is important to remember that the mines, through the legislation that the previous government pushed through, have been forced to treat, for example, uranium as waste. It is an enormous waste of resources. The ban also had major consequences for the possibility of mining other necessary metals that were needed, among other things, for our climate transition.

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Annika Hirvonen (MP)

Madam Speaker! The parliamentary term is soon coming to an end. A number of years ago, Pål Jonson was one of those who criticized the previous government's sluggish actions when it came to evacuating interpreters and other local staff who had helped Swedish forces in Afghanistan. They had risked their lives side by side under the Swedish flag on assignment from us in the Swedish Riksdag, and 50 people are still remaining there.

The Sweden Democrats have said that they are blocking the government from acting. My opinion is that Pål Jonson should let the Sweden Democrats go and do what is morally right and correct.

One of the sons of the interpreters who helped Sweden wrote to me in despair after being tortured and imprisoned by the Taliban. These people are now pleading for Sweden's help. Will Pål Jonson act?

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Annika Hirvonen, for the question! It is true that we were critical of the previous government because they were slow with the evacuation of both embassy staff and those who had previously worked within the Armed Forces.

Something that has changed and unfortunately also made things more difficult for us is that we no longer have any presence on the ground since the Taliban took over. With that said, however, we have not been completely passive in the matter. On the contrary, we have followed up on this with other countries, which continue to evacuate people from Afghanistan.

I also think it is reasonable that all people who have had a connection to the Armed Forces in Afghanistan should at least be able to have their grounds for protection reviewed. We have, of course, also engaged and posed questions to the relevant authorities, such as the Swedish Migration Agency, the Armed Forces, and the Swedish Security Service. But I have no new updates to give Annika Hirvonen here in the rostrum today.

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Åsa Coenraads (M)

Madam Speaker! The coastal fishing in Blekinge is unfortunately decreasing due to heavily pressured fish stocks and more bureaucratic red tape. There are many issues that we can work on for a more vibrant archipelago and to increase small-scale fishing specifically for human consumption.

The cormorant populations are causing enormous problems in the archipelago environments. My question therefore goes to Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren: What is the government doing to reduce the cormorant populations in the Baltic Sea?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! I have personally shot a bunch of skars. That is the way we need to work, but also with other methods such as oiling of eggs and so on.

Above all, we need to achieve a change in the birds directive, so that the cormorant becomes huntable in a completely different way than today. No one can tell me that it is an endangered species in any way. Those who have been out in the archipelago in Blekinge or in other places know what it looks like where the cormorant has moved in.

Furthermore, each cormorant eats half a kilogram of fish every day. There are approximately 75,000 breeding pairs in our country. For a generous estimate, one can multiply that figure by five to get the total number. The cormorants eat more fish than the total fishing pressure from our commercial fishers.

We have taken a long series of measures. There is a good list that I do not have time to read out now on the government's website.

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Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)

Madam Speaker! The Swedish Food Agency's sub-report "Robustness-enhancing measures within the retail trade" shows that strict interpretations of the EU's state aid rules risk weakening our crisis preparedness.

Swedish food supply is based on many different types of corporate forms. If the state's support for reserve power and emergency stocks becomes too rigid, the market becomes distorted. In the long run, this threatens the entire country's resilience in the event of a serious food shortage.

Our neighboring country Finland has solved this. Through its model for preparedness, the Finnish state and the business sector cooperate across corporate boundaries in full accordance with EU law. Secure preparedness requires that all actors are treated equally.

My question to Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin is therefore: Does the government intend to give the investigation a mandate to look at the Finnish model, so that future support strengthens the entire Swedish food supply on equal terms?

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for an important question!

This is a task that is primarily driven by the Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren, but we naturally have a close dialogue. It is very pleasing that the Swedish Board of Agriculture as recently as today has announced that the first emergency stocks for grain have been established in northern Sweden and that they intend to proceed with the work of building up grain stores in southern Sweden.

The answer to the question is therefore: Yes, we are already underway. Jordbruksverket procures and ensures that actors in the private sector can contribute to storage that is larger than what would have been justified on a purely commercial basis.

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Niklas Sigvardsson (S)

Madam Speaker! Swedish civil defense needs to be built up. But it cannot only be built up with agency decisions, emergency stockpiles, or appeals to individual households. A strong civil defense needs to be built on trust between people, democratic resilience, local organizing, and the ability to quickly disseminate knowledge throughout the entire country.

Against that background, it is remarkable that the government has chosen to dismantle a sector that actually meets all these requirements during this mandate period. They have chosen to cut every third krona for folkbildningen across our country, which risks weakening the local anchoring and the rapid mobilization needed during crisis, war, and other societal disruptions.

Now there are various proposals on how one could strengthen the role of popular education in civil defense, which is done in many other countries. Therefore, my question goes to the Minister for Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin: Why is the government undermining a unique resource such as our popular education system, which could strengthen civil defense?

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Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for a very important question.

Of course, public education is also a part of civil defense, just like many other parts of society.

What we are seeing now is, for example, the closing of premises. I see that as a major problem.

The state invests approximately 4 billion kronor every year in folkbildning. The big problem is that we have seen large cuts made by municipalities and regions in this area while the state has maintained its fairly large funding. The truth is that Sweden's municipalities and regions have cut their funding by 62 percent in recent years.

I have now taken the initiative for talks with SKR, and I assess that there is indeed a will among Sweden's municipalities and regions to take a greater responsibility for this important issue.

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Erik Hellsborn (SD)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Civil Defence Bohlin.

Joining NATO places demands on Swedish infrastructure. This applies in particular to the ports in my home region of Halland, which have an important function to fulfill by receiving military personnel and materiel in the event of a conflict around the Baltic Sea.

The ports in Halland are a national interest, and this must be reflected in the financing. It cannot be reasonable that Halland or the Halland municipalities alone should bear the entire cost for construction and adaptation to Nato standards.

It was very unfortunate when Halmstad Municipality in 2025 announced that they paused their expansion of the harbor, citing that they had not received any clear decision from the state regarding co-financing. I would therefore like to ask the minister: How are the discussions between the state and Hallands hamnar progressing, and can Halmstad and Varberg expect any co-financing when it comes to the harbors?

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank you for an important question!

I cannot, for natural reasons, comment on individual infrastructure objects here. But what I can state is that we are working, among other things within the framework of the eight-party agreement that was concluded about a year ago, to strengthen infrastructure that is important for the needs of total defense. They agreed on a total of 50 billion in a special investment for civil defense. A significant portion of this will go to infrastructure investments specifically. A continuous dialogue also takes place here with the Defence Preparation Board. The direction is that it is the objects that the Armed Forces prioritize that receive specially allocated funds for upgrading and renovation. Exactly how that distribution of funds will turn out is a matter we will have to return to.

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Anna Lasses (C)

Madam Speaker! Many of us will be traveling to Gotland in just over a week. Right now, there is a watering ban on all of Gotland, and there is an appeal to save water. Furthermore, a pressure reduction will be carried out to save even more.

Last year, it was close to becoming completely dry in the taps, and the situation risks becoming the same this year. The groundwater is extremely low because it has hardly rained for two months. Companies threaten to leave Gotland, and food production is threatened.

Water shortages also exist in other places. It becomes extra serious and expensive in municipalities with sparse settlement. One way to solve this would be to consider investment support for municipalities that are on the front line when it comes to being affected by climate change – climate change is, after all, a reason for this.

What is the government doing about this somewhat acute situation?

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! I heard no direction on the question. Therefore, I looked a bit questioning. I wondered whether it was I or Carl-Oskar Bohlin who was to answer.

Drinking water is extremely important, as is the irrigation structure. This often coincides with the areas where we have problems with groundwater levels and so on. In that case, I am primarily thinking of agriculture in parts of southern and eastern Sweden, where these problems have existed for a long time.

We are, of course, following the developments closely. Some years are critical. This year looked like it was going to be one such critical year. The situation has leveled off somewhat. That is good, but of course, one must constantly be prepared to consider new measures.

Regarding agriculture's need for water to grow crops and so on, we have significantly increased the investment support – this is so that irrigation ponds can be constructed so that the water can be utilized when it arrives and then distributed over the crops.

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Mats Berglund (MP)

Madam Speaker! We have seen that when the state cuts back, the municipalities follow suit. The final account after the mandate period for folkbildningen will be a smaller operation that reaches fewer people. Above all, it is the small towns and the rural areas that are the losers.

The reports from the Studieförbunden show that it concerns 8,000 fewer performances, that 300 rehearsal halls have been forced to close, and that two of the ten studieförbunden have completely disappeared. When perhaps the only hall in the area closes, the entire association life is affected.

Nine out of ten folk high schools have been forced to cut back regarding staff, number of participants, or course offerings. Many historic folk high schools are now in the process of closing, going bankrupt. It will take a long time to rebuild this fantastic and actually unique infrastructure again.

My question to Lotta Edholm is: How does the Minister explain that the result of the government's policy has become this bad?

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Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank you very much for a very important question.

I share the questioner's ambitions in this area. We have seen large cuts. But I would like to assert, not least after having read the report *Vid vägs ände?* from among others the Folkbildningsrådet, that the major problem is not the funding from the state but the funding from municipalities and regions in Sweden.

Thirty years ago, the state and municipalities and regions funded [it] in approximately the same extent, but since then, the funding that comes from municipalities and regions has decreased by 62 percent while the state's funding has remained quite still. I believe that we must take a joint grip, otherwise we will end up right at the end of the road.

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Helena Bouveng (M)

Madam Speaker! Last week we debated Sweden's contribution to NATO's forward presence in Finland, what is called FLF Finland. Sweden will have a leading role when it comes to FLF Finland, because Sweden is the so-called framework nation.

Madam Speaker! It is good that Sweden takes a very active role within Nato and not least that we are deepening cooperation with our allies in northern Europe. But FLF Finland will function in a slightly different way than Nato's other FLFs. For example, the Swedish combat group will be forward-deployed in Boden and not in Rovaniemi. Therefore, I wonder, Madam Speaker, if the Minister for Defence can describe the reasoning behind why FLF Finland is intended to function in a different way than the other FLFs.

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Försvarsministern Pål Jonson (M)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Helena Bouveng, for the question!

At its core, this is a great and important responsibility for Sweden. There are, therefore, only six other allies who have wanted and been able to shoulder the responsibility as a framework nation. This is largely based on the experiences we have from the Swedish-Finnish defense cooperation, the FISE cooperation. But now it is no longer a peacetime cooperation, but this is happening within the framework of Nato.

The reason why it will be based in Boden is that the conditions for operating on the Finnish side north of the Arctic Circle are underdeveloped. There is a lot of forest, and it is very cold. Therefore, it is easier and better to train and practice in Sweden. Then, one will be able to be quickly deployed in Finland to, together with countries such as Italy, France, and the United Kingdom and the other Nordic countries, conduct deterrence, defend Finland, and strengthen security on the entire northern flank.

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Monica Haider (S)

Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

A journalist was able to enter the Prime Minister's residence with a fake identity. The journalist was then left alone and could look around. This could have happened because a foundation was seeking volunteers to increase the value of a property owned by the Prime Minister's family.

Is there reason for the government, as part of civil defense, to take measures to improve the security thinking of civil society organizations that operate close to the highest levels of state leadership?

(Applause)

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! I do not perceive this to be a question that concerns my area of responsibility. They are trying to force everything to be about civil defense.

Civil defense is about preparing Sweden so that the country can handle the consequences of war; it is the dimensioning task for civil defense in Sweden. One of the reasons why we took over a civil defense that was at zero was that the Social Democrats had not given this task a thought during eight years in government. The appropriations for civil defense were at the bottom – they had been zero during the previous eight years.

Now the appropriations go from 2.7 billion to almost 20 billion per year to prepare Sweden for the dimensioning task: to withstand an armed attack.

(Applause)

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Karin Sundin (S)

Madam Speaker! I see that Civil Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin is trying to dodge the Social Democrats' questions, but here comes another one.

There is much to say about Sweden's crisis preparedness and about the crisis preparedness for all groups in society. The Socialstyrelsen's latest situation report on measures and support for persons with disabilities shows that the development is even going in the wrong direction.

The proportion of municipalities that have current evacuation plans for particularly vulnerable groups is decreasing. In 2021, approximately half of the municipalities had plans for their residences for persons with various disabilities. The proportion was small then, and it has now decreased further to between 30 and 40 percent. The proportion of municipalities that have continuity plans for their residences for persons with disabilities is, according to Socialstyrelsen, remarkably small – only around 20 percent.

What does the government intend to do to ensure that all municipalities have crisis plans for their housing for persons with disabilities?

(Applause)

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Minister för civilt försvar Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M)

Madam Speaker! I thank the member for the question.

Let me begin by stating that the capability in civil defense has increased every year during the last four years. When we took over Sweden, the capability was at a very low level.

What we are now doing to increase the accountability of the municipalities is to move forward with entirely new legislation that sets higher requirements for accountability for their own operations across the entire spectrum of threats. This legislation should have been in place several years ago, but the Social Democrats did nothing on this issue.

We are also increasing the funding. Over the next three years, Sweden's municipalities will receive 4.6 billion kronor to engage in precisely continuity planning of the activities for which they themselves are responsible. It is a pity that this needs to happen in the current government's time; it would have been better if previous governments had also prioritized these issues.

(Applause)

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Isak From (S)

Madam Speaker! It appears that there is complete chaos in the Government Offices. People are very stressed. This morning, a press release was issued and a press conference was held regarding the government withdrawing the bill to imprison 13-year-olds, which is good.

At the same time, a press release was issued stating that an investigation would be commissioned into reintroducing the municipalities' veto against, among other things, uranium mining in alumschist. The government could have handled this in the same way. They could have easily withdrawn the bill we are debating here today and are to decide on on Monday, which presents proposals to remove the municipal influence and the veto.

What the Christian Democrats, the Moderates and the Liberals are doing in this issue is to blow blue mists into the eyes of all those municipalities that now feel strong anxiety about what will happen to their drinking water.

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Landsbygdsministern Peter Kullgren (KD)

Madam Speaker! It is noticeable that the cooperation between the Centre Party and the Social Democrats is beginning to take shape. Now they are getting caught up in each other's tactics and asking the same question over and over again.

The answer is the same. We have announced that we will appoint an investigation into mining in alunschist to ensure that municipalities have influence. It is not the same as the uranium mining ban, which has had very negative consequences for other types of minerals that we need.

Three or four similar questions have been asked. The answer is the same, even though the question this time was asked by a social democrat.

(Applause)

Question time was hereby concluded.

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